DoD Watchdog to Investigate Potentially Dangerous Afghans Allowed Into US Despite Being on Watchlist

DoD Watchdog to Investigate Potentially Dangerous Afghans Allowed Into US Despite Being on Watchlist
Afghan refugees line up for food in a dining hall at Fort Bliss' Doña Ana Village, N.M., on Sept. 10, 2021. David Goldman/AP Photo
Naveen Athrappully
Updated:
0:00

The Department of Defense (DoD) Office of Inspector General (OIG) is all set to investigate whistleblower allegations that hundreds of Afghan refugees were allowed into the United States despite appearing on the department’s Biometrically Enabled Watchlist (BEWL).

“As part of our ongoing body of work on Afghan evacuees, we are initiating an evaluation, to commence in the first quarter of FY 2023, to address your questions pertaining to the DoD’s role in reviewing DoD databases for information on Afghan evacuees when requested by other agencies,” said a Sept. 6 letter by DoD Acting Inspector General Sean W. O’Donnell to Sens. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.).

Whistleblower Allegations

The letter was in response to an Aug. 4 letter sent by Johnson and Hawley to O’Donnell which brought attention to the whistleblower allegations.